KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Mississippi State shot 48 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, claiming a 77-62 victory over No. 15/15 Tennessee on Thursday night at Food City Center, ending the Lady Vols’ seven-game winning streak and run of eight-straight victories at home.
The Lady Vols (14-4, 6-1 SEC) limited the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) to 30-percent shooting in the first quarter to take a 12-9 lead after one, but they were unable to hold MSU under 50 percent in each of the final three quarters in suffering their first SEC loss as well as their first setback on The Summitt this season.
Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper led UT in scoring with 19 points, while Mia Pauldo and Janiah Barker chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.
Mississippi State had four scorers in double figures, with Kharyssa Richardson leading the way with 21 points. Trayanna Crisp fired in 15, while Madison Francis tallied a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and Favour Nwaedozi also did so with 11 points and 14 boards.
Tennessee displayed intense pressure defense early, forcing six MSU turnovers and scoring six points off those miscues to build an 8-4 lead on a Barker fade-away jumper and carry an 8-7 lead into the first media timeout. While the Lady Vols had difficulty converting on the offensive end, their defense continued to be a force. They hurried the Bulldogs into five more turnovers before the end of the quarter, with Cooper converting two of them into buckets to help her team claim a 12-9 lead after one.
A Barker basket at the outset of the second period provided the Big Orange its largest margin at 14-9, but Mississippi State countered and grabbed its first lead at 17-16 on a Richardson three-pointer with 8:02 to go. The teams exchanged buckets, with a Richardson jumper sending her team into the 4:47 media timeout with a 21-20 advantage. A Barker trey put UT back on top, 23-21, right after the break, but that turned out to be the home team’s last lead of the second stanza, as the Bulldogs outscored Tennessee 14-3 the rest of the way to carry a nine-point cushion of 35-26 into the half.
The Lady Vols struck first in the second half, getting a three from Pauldo and her first points of the game after she was saddled with foul trouble over the first 20 minutes. Pauldo added a free throw 41 seconds later to trim the deficit to eight, 38-30, before MSU asked for time with 8:00 left in the third period. The Bulldogs responded after the break, reeling off six straight and moving ahead, 44-30, and forcing a UT timeout with 6:27 left in the period. UT cut the gap to 12 twice and worked it to 11, 48-37, on a pair of Jaida Civil free throws with 5:04 to go, but a 9-0 State run helped the Bulldogs push their lead to 20, 57-37, with 2:44 left and to 59-39 with 1:59 remaining before a Cooper three-ball cut the gap to 59-42 by the end of the frame.
The visitors stretched their lead to 20 again, 66-46, with 6:58 left, but Tennessee kept scraping and drew within 15, 66-51, on a Pauldo three-pointer before a layup by Chandler Prater carried the Bulldogs into the 4:35 media break with a 68-51 advantage. UT twice trimmed the deficit to 14 in the late going, but it could never get over the hump.
NEXT UP
Tennessee steps outside of Southeastern Conference play this weekend, traveling to Hartford, Conn., to take on No. 1/1 UConn. The Lady Vols and undefeated Huskies will meet at noon ET on Sunday at PeoplesBank Arena (formerly XL Center) in a contest televised by FOX. It also will be available on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Radio (Chs. 106 or 190). Listen on 95.5FM WSMG with coverage beginning at 11:30am.
